The Most Twisted Romance Movies To Watch On Netflix

Because happily ever after is overrated

Shakespeare said it best: “The course of true love never did run smooth.” Far too many romance films choose to deny this fact, though, letting their characters off easy with picture perfect endings. While watching couples skate through movies relatively unscathed may be satisfying for some, others (read: us) may enjoy some good old-fashioned conflict.

That's exactly what is found in these 10 films, which are rich with drug deals gone wrong, duplicitous partners, and disastrous mistakes that can never be taken back. While some relationships survive these hurdles, others go up in flames— often literally. Consider yourself warned.

Courtesy of Netflix

AtonementBefore Saoirse Ronan was dazzling critics with her turn as a free-spirited teen in Lady Bird or braving the choppy waters of the Atlantic in search of a better life in Brooklyn, she scored her first Oscar nomination in Atonement. Here she plays Briony, a 13-year-old in 1930s England who witnesses a crime and falsely accuses Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the son of her family’s housekeeper, of committing it. Robbie and Briony's sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) are in love, and Briony's lie derails any hope of their relationship ending happily. Over the course of her lifetime, the choice Briony made as a child alters the lives of those involved forever, and as she feels pulled to right her wrongs, it’s her silence that leaves irreparable damage in a final act twist that will bring even the strongest viewers to their knees.